Westcott
A habitational surname meaning someone from a west cottage or a place named Westcott.
The #6,097 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,878 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Westcott comes from Old English west, meaning "west," plus cot, meaning "cottage" or "hut." In many cases it referred to someone who lived at or near a west-facing cottage, or who came from a place called Westcott. The place-name sense is well supported by the many English localities called Westcott, Westcote, or similar forms.
History
The surname appears in medieval English records in forms such as de Westcote and was recorded in several counties. Later spellings varied widely, including Wescott and Wesscott, before settling into the modern form Westcott. The name is especially associated with English place-names, and emigrant families carried it to North America, where some variant spellings persisted.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley noted that some Westcott forms were spelled so variably in old records that the modern spelling may be much more regular than the medieval one.
From the historical record
“Celt.] WESTCOTT (Eng.) Bel. toWestcot, Westcote, Westcott ; or Dweller at the West Cottage(s [O.E. west + cot, pi. cotui Nicholas de Westcote. — Hund. Rolls. WESTERBY (Scand.) Bel. to Westerby; or Dweller at the Western Farmstead”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)